About

Lane Partners was formed in January of 2006 for the purposes of acquiring, developing, and managing institutional quality real estate throughout Northern California. The expertise of the company lies within the ability to add value in a very cost-effective way including physical rehabilitations, lease up and re-structuring, entitlements and general repositioning of assets. Currently, Lane Partners has over nine million square feet under development, almost entirely in the Bay Area.

Over ten million square feet under development in one of the most dynamic markets.

Our services

Property Acquisition

Acquire the future—a simple goal.

We admit it, we’re predisposed to action, and we're always on the lookout for potential. That said, we take every prospective opportunity to task. We gain perspective through due diligence investigations to gain insight into financial, legal and physical adequacy for every project. Our investors and partners know we do our homework, while simplifying contract negotiation and financial underwriting.

Asset Management

Manage—to stay on top of everything.

Relentless curiosity equals insight. We’re apt managers of the design and construction process, selecting talent and contractors, vendors, and service providers. We lead project budgeting and speed permits and approvals—even procuring funding and equity financing when necessary. We offer comprehensive accounting services and monthly financial reporting packages.

Strategic Alliance

Go alone to go fast—to go far take partners.

Let’s talk about the sweet spot. Where everyone benefits from interests that are totally aligned. We’re the partner on the ground, because we’re experts in Northern California. We enjoy mutually-advantageous relationships with other investors, owners, developers, brokers and service providers. Meeting the objective comes after meeting people where they are.

our team

  • Scott L. Smithers Founder, Managing Principal
    Scott L. Smithers Founder, Managing Principal

    As the Founder and Managing Principal at Lane Partners, Scott oversees strategic direction, partner relations, and day-to-day operations at the company. Since its inception in 2006, Lane Partners, in combination with its capital partners, has facilitated the acquisition, development, and management of more than five million square feet of high-performing commercial office and mixed use real estate projects across the Bay Area.

    Recent and current success stories include:

    • Repositioning 300,000 square feet of office space in Cupertino, which was leased by, then sold to, Apple. (Partner: Walton Street Capital)
    • Acquiring 400,000 square-foot Sears building in Oakland, which was later sold to Uber. (Partner: Walton Street Capital)
    • Acquiring the 24-building, 800,000 square foot portfolio in Sunnyvale’s Peery Park business district. (Partner: PIMCO)
    • Chan Zuckerberg Initiative leased development of a to-be-built four-story, 116,000 square foot office in Redwood City.
    • Sale of fully entitled development office project of 25,000 square feet in Menlo Park to the Eric Schmidt/Hillspire foundation.

    The company’s successful track record hasn’t escaped the notice of its peers. In 2018, Lane Partners won the Deal of the Year Award for its acquisition and lease of HQ @First to Micron at the Silicon Valley Business Journal’s Structures awards. In 2016, Lane Partners received the San Francisco Business Times Deal of the Year Award for its Uber at Uptown Station transaction. In 2015, the company was named Developer of the Year by the Association of Silicon Valley Brokers.

    Prior to founding Lane Partners, Scott’s accomplished career included serving as Senior Vice President of Asset Management for Starwood Capital’s West Coast operations and President of Divco West Properties in San Jose. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from San Diego State University, a Class-B General Contractor’s License, and is a licensed California Real Estate Broker.

    Andrew D. Haydel Principal
    Andrew D. Haydel Principal

    Andrew joined Lane Partners in 2007 and became a Principal in 2008. Andrew’s responsibilities at Lane Partners are focused on capital transactions and construction management. Andrew oversees all acquisition underwriting and due diligence for Lane Partners.

    Prior to joining Lane Partners, Andrew was Vice President of Capital Transactions for a real estate subsidiary of U.S. Trust. During his 4 years with U.S. Trust, Andrew was responsible for overseeing more than $400M in transactions and financings.

    Andrew holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley and a Masters of Business Administration with emphasis in Real Estate and Finance from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Andrew is also a LEED Accredited Professional.

  • Mark J. Murray Principal
    Mark J. Murray Principal

    Mark joined Lane Partners in 2008 and focuses on acquisitions, entitlements, leasing and construction management.

    Mark has been involved in more than $300M in acquisitions and dispositions during his tenure at Lane.  In addition, Mark has negotiated over 1 million square feet in lease transactions, including leases with Apple Inc., E*Trade Financial, Stanford University Hospitals & Clinics, Evernote Corporation, Boardvantage and Lattice Semiconductor.

    Prior to joining Lane Partners, Mark was an Associate with Quinn, Emanuel, Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP.  Mark holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Stanford University, where he was elected Phi Beta Kappa, and a Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School. Mark is a member of the California State Bar and is a LEED Accredited Professional.

    Marcus J. Gilmour Principal
    Marcus J. Gilmour Principal

    Marcus joined Lane Partners in 2011 and is responsible for asset management and acquisitions.

    Prior to joining Lane Partners, Marcus was an Associate in the Global Markets Group for Bank of America Merrill Lynch in New York, NY.  During his time at the bank, Marcus worked on the institutional equity trading desk, serving as a conduit between institutional hedge fund and asset management clients and the bank’s position traders.

    From 2003 to 2008 Marcus worked for SCO Advisors, Inc., a strategic advisory and full-service real estate brokerage firm in Los Angeles, CA.  He specialized in industrial assets, sourcing, selling, and leasing real estate for institutional and private investors.

    Marcus holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Southern California, where he was a member of the Men’s Volleyball Team and served as the Team Captain in 2003.  He also obtained a Masters of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

  • Nicholas S. Menchel Principal
    Nicholas S. Menchel Principal

    Nick joined Lane Partners in 2017 and works on acquisitions, entitlements, asset management and construction management.

    Prior to joining Lane Partners, Nick worked at a biotech startup in Palo Alto, CA, where he built and led multiple operational teams as a Senior Product Manager.  Highlights of his work include managing all leasing, design, and construction of office, lab and retail space during the company’s rapid growth and expansion throughout the country.

    Nick started his career at Clark Construction in Washington, DC, working on large commercial office construction projects.  He then joined Accenture in New York, NY as a management consultant in their strategy group and worked on a variety of projects across different industries before moving to California.

    Nick holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Duke University.

    Eric A. Bet Associate Principal
    Eric A. Bet Associate Principal

    Eric joined Lane Partners in 2022 and works on acquisitions, entitlements, asset management and construction management.

    Prior to joining Lane Partners, Eric was an Associate at Harvest Properties. During his time at Harvest, Eric worked in acquisitions and development and was responsible for underwriting potential investment opportunities throughout the Bay Area.

    Prior to joining Harvest, Eric worked in HFF’s San Francisco office on the Investment Advisory & Capital Markets Teams. While at HFF, Eric closed 22 transactions totaling $1.7 Billion. Prior to HFF, Eric worked for PGIM Real Estate in San Francisco supporting the acquisitions and development teams.

    Eric holds a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management with a Minor in Real Property Development and Finance Concentration from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.